Three Lancaster-Lebanon boys' lacrosse teams enter Tuesday's PIAA Tournament on different missions.
Hempfield, the newly-minted District Three champs, will try to pad its 21-game winning streak. Manheim Township, which finished second in District Three, is looking to change a season in which the Blue Streaks have no championships.
Elizabethtown, the Cinderella team in the district playoffs, will use the state tournament to gain more experience for the future.
The Black Knights (23-1) will play Seneca Valley (18-2), the District Seven third-place team, at 6 p.m. at Comet Field.
The Raiders are paced on offense by Jake McAndrew, the player of the year in his conference, and Will Koontz, a first team all-star. The defense is anchored by Joe Natoli and Joe Chowansky.
SV has one common opponent with Hempfield, Manheim Township, which the Raiders beat 13-8 this season.
"We still just need to worry about how we play," said Hempfield coach Doug Bailey. "If need to make adjustments, we will. If we need to dial up a different defense during the game, we will."
Hempfield is having one of its best seasons in a few years, with a L-L League title and District Three crown, and Bailey credits his players for buying into what the coaching staff has preached.
"I just think that this is a special team," he said. "If we get down I know they'll say 'coach what do we need to do?' and they'll go out and do it."
Township (20-4) will face Garnet Valley (17-5), the District One third-place team, at 6 p.m. at Governor Mifflin.
The Jaguars are led on offense by Eric Warden, a Central League all-star, while Alex Warden, a long stick midfielder, is the keystone of the defense.
The Streaks, coming off their third loss to Hempfield this season, hope to rebound Tuesday.
"I've seen this group come up on the short end in a game and follow that with a bad game the next time," MT coach Rich Lefever said.
Lefever was pleased with his team's practice on Friday, the day after MT's district championship loss, and hopes it will carry over into Tuesday.
"They took all of that negative energy from Thursday and made it a positive," he said.
Neither Hempfield nor Township are strangers to the state tournament.
The Black Knights finished second in the Keystone Cup (the previous name of the championship before the PIAA sanctioned the sport last season) in 2005 and the Streaks earned runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2008.
Elizabethtown, on the other hand, is making its first appearance in the state tournament.
The Bears (15-8), the District Three third-place team, will match up against Franklin Regional (9-11), the District Seven runner-up, at 6 p.m. at Hampton.
The Panthers upset Seneca Valley, 10-9, in the district semifinals to earn their place in the state tournament.
E-town is coming off of a District Three tournament in which the Bears shocked many by beating the No. 1 teams from York, Berks and the Mid-Penn.
"We're not shocked," E-town coach Jeremy Adams said. "We showed that L-L League is an outstanding league in Central Pennsylvania.
"We're here right now because we have kids that don't settle. Any time we've had a setback, it just makes us better."